James Harrison made his first competitive appearance for Featheratone after picking up a knee injury during pre-season.

Leeds Rhinos full-back Ashton Golding was also drafted in, appearing in the left centre spot.

The Vikings had endured a torrid week off the field, as they were hit with a 12-point deduction after they were saved from liquidation.

A consortium of investors agreed a deal with administrators on Thursday to take over the club.

Harry Newman, centre

The RFL approved the takeover on Friday evening, meaning that the fixture received the go ahead.

Featherstone went behind early on as Liam Hood went from dummy half to put the home side ahead in the opening minutes. Anthony Gelling added a second for the home side as he powered over on the right-hand flank.

Things got worse for Rovers soon after as Jack Owens grubbered in behind and Ryan Ince was there to ground the ball in-goal.

Widnes were 22 points to the good inside the opening 15 minutes as Owens gathered an offload to score under the posts. Brad Walker increased the lead just before the interval to give the hosts a 28-0 lead.

Daniel Smith scored Featherstone’s first points of the game soon after the second-half restart.

Sam Wilde and Jack Owens hit back for Widnes as the home side re-established their dominance on the contest.

Harry Newman then scored for the third time in two games to reduce the arrears.